


Godfather

by FloreatCastellum



Series: Marauder Moments [9]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Family, Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, Marauders, Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 22:21:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20496251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FloreatCastellum/pseuds/FloreatCastellum
Summary: Sirius, Remus and Peter meet Harry for the first time.





	Godfather

Sirius appeared with a loud crack and was immediately drenched up to the ankles. The powerful summer thunderstorm last night had turned the cobbled streets of Godric’s Hollow into dappled, fast flowing streams, snaking through the quaint stone houses. Sirius waded out of the road and onto the dryer pavement, where he tapped a wand to his trainers to rid them of their sogginess. 

They had needed a storm. All week the air had been thick and oppressive, and last night the claps of thunder had sounded like they were tearing the world apart. No wonder James’s owl had looked so bedraggled and traumatised when it arrived that morning.

He threw open the little gate and hurried up their garden path - he tried to peer in through the window, and he thought he could see the back of Lily’s head on the sofa, but nothing else of note.

Usually, he would hammer aggressively on the door, shout joking insults through the letterbox, or, before security had had to be tightened, simply wander in and yell his arrival. But today he was excitedly aware of who was awaiting him, so he rapped his knuckles very lightly.

Soft footsteps could be heard, and then James was opening the door - he looked exhausted but was smiling in a way Sirius was quite unused to. He didn’t look at all self-conscious, there was no slightly cocky raise of his eyebrows or glint in his eye; the gentleness in his smile, the quiet joy, it couldn’t just be down to the tiredness.

‘I came as soon as I got your owl,’ Sirius said in a low voice. ‘A boy? Really?’

‘Yes,’ said James quietly. ‘Come and meet him.’

He led Sirius through to the living room, where Lily was sitting, curled up on the sofa, cradling a tightly swaddled bundle.

‘Is he asleep?’

‘No,’ she said, smiling warmly at Sirius as she saw him. ‘Here.’

James took the bundle and carried it over to Sirius, who felt strangely nervous. ‘This is Harry,’ James said, his eyes shining as he smiled down at the baby.

Harry was small, and pink, with a tuft of dark hair and eyes that were almost closed. He squirmed sleepily, his tiny little mouth pulling into the smallest yawn Sirius had ever seen.

‘He’s amazing,’ said Sirius truthfully. ‘What a handsome boy.’

‘He is, isn’t he?’ said James. ‘Reckon he looks like me.’

Lily tutted and rolled her eyes, but was still smiling serenely. ‘I’m so glad you came, Sirius, I knew you’d be the first.’

‘Well, I had to beat the others, didn’t I?’ said Sirius. ‘Got to take these things seriously.’

‘Yes,’ said James, swaying the baby slightly. ‘Want to know your prize for getting here first?’

‘I get a prize?’

Without asking, perhaps because he knew Sirius would say no out of sheer fear, James pushed the baby into his chest so that Sirius’s arms instinctively came up to cradle him. ‘We want you to be his godfather,’ said James.

Sirius gaped at him. ‘You serious?’

‘Course I am.’

‘Don’t you want someone more responsible?’ The baby was slightly heavier than he expected and Sirius was a little worried he would drop him.

‘Certainly not,’ said James, beaming at them both.

Sirius looked down into the little face, with the tiny nose and dimpled chin, all out of proportion. ‘Hello,’ he said, and at his voice the baby opened his eyes and blinked at him. ‘Hello, Harry.’ He looked up with mild alarm. ‘What on earth does a godfather do? I don’t even know if I have a godparent.’

James laughed. ‘Er… I think traditionally you’re supposed to provide spiritual guidance.’

Sirius looked at Lily. ‘I don’t think you want me doing that, do you?’

‘Not really,’ she said, amused. ‘I’d like him to be a nice boy.’

Sirius snorted, and looked back down at Harry. ‘Well, I’ll soon put a stop to that, won’t I? Need you to be the coolest kid in school, after all.’

As though in response, Harry gave a spluttering little whimper of a cry. James and Lily both laughed, and Sirius made a playful, panicking, quiet ‘aaah’ noise and eagerly handed him back to James, whose eyes lit up with pride again.

‘Look at him,’ he muttered. ‘Look at my boy, look how perfect he is.’

There was a knocking at the door, and Lily glanced through the window. ‘It’s Remus and Peter,’ she said. ‘I’ll get it.’

Sirius looked at James and was surprised to see him looking quite serious as he watched Lily leave the room. Without prompting, James spoke in a low voice. ‘I named you godfather because I know you’ll look after him and Lily, if something happens.’

‘Nothing’s going to-’

He heard Lily’s warm greeting, and Remus and Peter’s quiet but excited voices, but James continued, seemingly keen to say it while they were in private. ‘If it does, you’re the one I want looking out for them both,’ James said firmly.

‘Of course I would-’

‘Then you’ll do it? You’ll be godfather?’

‘I- yes, of course, I’m honoured-’

‘Good,’ James said swiftly, and then suddenly he was smiling again as Remus and Peter entered the room, rushing over to meet Harry, both of them grinning broadly as James introduced him to them.

‘I should say he looks like one or the other of you, shouldn’t I?’ said Peter. ‘I can never tell, all babies look the same to me - who would you prefer I say he looks like?’

‘I think we’ve decided that he looks like me,’ said James, at the same time Lily said, ‘he definitely takes after me.’

‘You two slow pokes lost the race, so I’ve been named godfather,’ said Sirius proudly.

Remus grinned and clapped him on the back in congratulations, Peter’s mouth fell open in what seemed to be a mixture of amazement and jealousy. Then he quickly said, ‘bagsy the next one.’

‘You can’t call dibs on unborn babies, Wormtail,’ said Sirius.

‘Especially if they’re not even conceived yet,’ said Remus, chuckling.

‘Yeah, slow down,’ said James. ‘I’ve no idea if I’m any good at this yet.’

‘I think that’s the point of the first child,’ said Sirius. ‘You learn from your mistakes and hope that the second is better.’

‘Well hopefully the next one will be an easier labour,’ said Lily darkly. ‘Took forever.’

‘Of course,’ said Remus quickly. ‘How was it? Well done, Lily-’

‘It was bloody awful,’ she said, glaring at her husband.

James shrugged. ‘Don’t look at me, I wanted a dog.’

They laughed as Lily shook her head despairingly. Sirius knew they had been worried. Their plans for a midwitch had to be thrown out of the window when Dumbledore warned them into hiding. He had found James poring over healing books, babbling about how he had no choice but to try and do it themselves…

‘So?’ Sirius asked tentatively. ‘Did you deliver him yourself?’

James winced. ‘Nearly. But things became difficult and there was blood so in the end I panicked and ran next door to Batty’s and got caught in the rain hammering desperately on her door. She’s old enough to know her stuff.’ He looked down at his son, who despite the conversation seemed to have fallen asleep. ‘Still guided you out in the end though, didn’t I? We were all right in the end.’

Peter swore. ‘Childbirth sounds awful, traumatic - how did you do it, Lily?’ he asked, gaping at her.

‘By that point I didn’t really have a choice, did I? I don’t recommend it though. If I wasn’t so happy with the end result I would say it was the worst experience of my life. As it happens, I am happy with him so it was the best.’

‘And in a storm too,’ said Remus quietly as they all smiled at her. ‘Supposed to create powerful wizards.’

‘Old witches tale,’ said Sirius dismissively. ‘Though I’m sure he will be,’ he added hastily.

But James didn’t seem to be listening, he was nodding vaguely at his sleeping son, shifting his weight from foot to foot so he swayed gently. ‘We were hoping he’d be an August baby,’ he said, his voice a little distant. ‘But he came at twenty past eleven.’

‘Oh, you don’t want an August baby,’ said Peter cheerfully. ‘You don’t want them to be the youngest in the year. Hey, can I hold him?’

James blinked, and then smiled and nodded, handing the sleeping baby carefully over.

‘Wow,’ said Peter, in an awed voice. ‘Look at him…’

‘I know,’ said James, grinning more than ever. ‘I still can’t quite believe it. I’m a father. We’re parents.’

‘You’re going to be a really good dad,’ said Peter fervently. ‘I can tell.’

‘You reckon?’ James asked, beaming. ‘I might not be strict enough.’

‘That’s what Lily’s there for, isn’t it?’ said Sirius, throwing a roguish grin at Lily.

‘Erm, no, I’m not going to be the bad parent all the time,’ she said, grinning back.

‘Ah, he’ll grow up a spoilt little brat then,’ said Sirius.

‘Never did me any harm,’ joked James, his eyes still fixed on his son. ‘Moony, d’you want to hold him?’

‘Ah, no,’ said Remus quickly, actually taking a step back as Peter made a gesture as though to hand the baby over. ‘Really, I-’

‘Go on-’

‘No, no,’ he said, looking quite alarmed. ‘Really. He’s very sweet. Lovely. I’m very happy for you. I just don’t think I should - should hold him.’

‘We’ll stop you if you start nibbling his head,’ said James. The others laughed, but Remus gave more of a pained grimace. Sirius felt a ball of anxiety writhe in his stomach.

‘Don’t want to wake him,’ he said in the end. ‘Poor thing being handed around like a parcel.’

‘You’ll cave eventually,’ said James, taking Harry back from Peter. ‘How could you not? Look at him.’ His eyes were full of adoration as he looked down at Harry. ‘He’s perfect. So perfect.’


End file.
